Baby support for use in bathtubs



April 11, 1950 M. l. DAVIS, JR

BABY SUPPORT FOR USE IN BATHTUBS Filed Feb. 15, 1947 m 0 Va T m M m w 7.a M QM 6 Patented Apr. 11, 1950 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BABY SUPPORTFOR USE IN BATHTUBS Malcolm I. Davis, Jr., New York, N. Y., assignor oftwenty per cent to Barbara B. Davis, New York, N. Y., and twenty percent to Thomas Wallace, IV, and twenty per cent to Muriel M. Wallace,both of Woodbridge, Conn.

Application February 13, 1947, Serial No. 728,361

Claims. 1

This invention relates to a baby support for use in a bathtub.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a baby support foruse in a bathtub, the primary characteristics of which will be simplicity, practicability, and durability. Another object is to provide adevice of the above character which will be neat and attractive inappearance. Another object is to provide a device of the above characterwhich will be strong and well able to withstand continuous, hard usage.Another object is to provide a device of the above character, themanufacture of which will be economical both from the standpoint oflabor and materials used. Another object is to provide a device of theabove character which may be used in any bathtub having a smooth bottom.Still another object is to provide a device of the above character whichmay be easily and quickly attached to or removed from a bathtub. A stillfurther object is to provide a secure and safe device of the abovecharacter for supporting and holding a baby in a sitting position in abathtub. Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed outhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, and arrangements of parts, all as will beillustratively described herein, and the scope of the application whichwill be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which is shown one of the variouspossible embodiments of this invention,

Figurel is a perspective view of the baby support for use in a bathtub;Figure 2 is a side elevation of the support shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a front elevation of the support shown in Figure 1; and,

Figure 4 is a top plan of the support shown in Figure 1.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the draw- 1118.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features of thisinvention, it might here be pointed out that certain difliculties havebeen experienced with devices of this type in the past which are used tosupport a baby in a bathtub from the age of six months until it is ableto support itself. In bathing a baby of this age, if a support is notused, it is necessary to support the baby with one hand while washingthe baby .with the other. This is awkward. and dimcult to do because thebaby is wet and slippery and there is always the chance that the babymay slip from the mothers hands with the possibility that the baby maybe injured bystriking the side or bottom of the bathtub. One of the maindifliculties with supports now in use is that their frameworks do notpermit ready access to the body of the baby for washing and also preventa baby from moving freely when it is playing in the bathtub.Furthermore, supports now in use are not securely attached to thebathtub which is dangerous because if a support becomes loose from thebathtub, it may upset and the ,baby may be injured. Accordingly, it isanother object of this invention to provide a baby support for'use in abathtub which ailords maximum accessibility to the baby when it is beingbathed, permits the baby a maximum of freedom of movement, and issecurely attached to the bathtub.

Referring now to Figure 1, the support includes a back rest, generallyindicated at [0, supported by legs, generally indicated at [2, l3, andI4. Back rest I0 is curved longitudinally to fit the body of the baby,and to make it comfortable and safe, its upper and lower edges Illa andlb are curved rearwardly. Back rest [0 is secured to an upwardlyextending portion l3a (Figure 2) of leg [3 by a pair of rivets l5 and Itor other suitable means. From portion I30. leg 13 extends rearwardly,curves downwardly, and thence forwardly to form a portion l3b. Portion[3b of leg I3 is secured by nuts l1 and ill to a pair of bolts, similarto bolt I9 (Figure 3) which are embedded in rubber suction cup 20 andextend through holes (not shown) in portion l3b. Suction cup 20 ispreferably of substantial size so that it will securely grip any surfaceto which it is attached. The particular shape of leg I3 is of importanceas the greatest strains are placedupon the support when a baby movesforwardly with respect to back rest Ill. By curving the leg l3downwardly and thence forwardly, all strains resulting from suchmovement of a baby upon suction cup 20 are substantially in line withthe vertical axis of the cup which is the direction in which the cup isable to withstand the greatest strain.

Legs l2 and [4 are the legs of a U-shaped element, the center portion 2|(Figure 3) of which is connected to leg l3 by rivets 22 (Figure 4) orother suitable means. The lower ends of legs 12 and I4 extend outwardlyto form portions l2a and M0, by means of which these legs are connectedto suction cups 23 and 24 which are similar in construction to cup 20.Portions [2a and Ma have holes therein through which bolts, such as boltl9, pass. The heads of these bolts are embedded in suction cups 23 and24, and the bolts and thus the cups are connected to portions I211. andMa by nuts 25 and 26.

Portions 12a, I31), and 14a (Figures 2 and 3) of legs l'2', I 3, and H-lie in the same plane, and as cups; 20, 23., and 24 are of the samesize, the bottoms of the cups all lie in one plane. When the device ismounted on a slightly curved or uneven surface, because of theresiliency of the cups and legs and because the support has three legswhich form a tripod, the device adapts. itself to the curved or unevensurface, thus permitting the device to be securely attached to such asurface. This is in contrast to a support having four legs, which, ifthe surface is uneven or if one of the legs is bent, will not beforeattachment contact the surface with all its cups, and thus, if such adevice is secured to such a surface, the support exerts a constant .pullupon one of the cups. Thus: the provision of three legs upon thissupport has definiteadvantages over supports now in use: which areattached to a surface at four points.

To secure the baby'to backrest ill, a belt 21 is provided. This belt ispreferably made of woven cotton and: its two ends after passing throughslots: 29 and so in back rest in, are fastened together behind the backrest. Any suitable device may be used for securing. the two ends of'thebelt together, but the ends are preferably joined by means of a femalesnap fastener mounted on one end of the belt and a series of male snapfasteners 2s mounted on the other end of'the belt ail-spaced points.Thus, by connecting the female snap to different male snaps, theeffective length of the belt may be made to fit the size of theparticular baby with which the support is to be used and may belengthened as the baby grows.

When it is desired to use the support, water is preferably first placedin a bathtub and then the support is mounted on the bottom of thebathtub by pressing downardly upon legs 52, i3, and M. Because'of theirsize, suction cups 20, 23, and 24 securely anchor legs i2, i3, and i4and thus the support to the bottom of the bathtub. If the bottom of thebathtub is curved, the resiliency of the legs and the suction cups, and

the fact that the support has three legs, permit the support to besecurely fastened to it. After the support is mounted in the bathtub,the baby is placed against back rest it, belt 2? is drawn tightly aroundthe baby and the ends of the belt are fastened together behind the backrest by the snap fastener. With the baby thus held by the support, amaximum of access to the body of the baby is afforded which is of majorimportance to a mother bathing a baby. The support aIso gives the babycomplete freedom for kicking, splashing and playing with its toys and atthe same time safely and securely supports the baby so that it cannotinjure itself.

It will thus be seen that a practical and efficient support for a babyin a bathtub has been disclosed in which the several objects hereinabovementioned, as well as many others, are success-fully accomplished.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the above invention, and asmany changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is tobe understood that all matter hereinabove set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

I claim:

1. In a device for supporting a baby in a bathtub or on any smoothsurface, the combination of, a back rest, means for connecting a baby tosaid back rest, a framework including three legs, means for connectingsaid back rest to said framework, and a suction cup secured to each ofsaid legs, said legs being in the form of a tripod and being positionedrearwardly of said back rest, the lower faces of said cups beingpositioned in the same plane, said cups being adapted to secure saidframework to the bottom of a bathtub or to any smooth surface.

2. In a device for supporting a baby in a bathtub or on any smoothsurface, the combination of, a back rest member, a framework member,

means for connecting said back rest member to said framework member,three suction cups secured to said framework member, said suction cupsbeing positioned in the form of a triangle rearwardly of said back restmember, the lower faces of said cups being positioned in the same plane,two of said cups being positioned immediately rearwardly of said backrest member and. being spaced a substantial distance from each other,the other of said cups being positioned rearwardly of saidfirst-mentioned cups and being aligned with the center of saidback restmember, and a belt connected to one of said members for connecting ababy to said member, said cup being adapted, to secure said frameworkmember to the bottom of a bathtub or to any smooth surface.

3- In a device for supporting a baby in. a. bathtub or on any smoothsurface, the combination of, a longitudinally curved backrest, means forconnecting a baby to said backrest, a-framework including a u-shapedmember and a member extending rearwardly and curving downwardly fromthe. center portion of said U-shaped member, means for connecting saidmembers together, means for connecting said back rest to said framework,and a suction cup connected to the lower ends of each of the legs ofsaid U-shaped member and to the lower end of said secondmentioned'member, the lower faces of said cups being positioned in the same plane.

4'. In a device for supporting and holding a baby in a bathtub or on anysmooth surface, the combination of, a longitudinally curved back rest ofsubstantial width, a framework positioned rearwardly of said back restincluding a U-shaped member and a member extending rearwardly andcurving downwardly from the center portion of said U-shaped member,means for connecting said members together, means for connecting saidback rest. to said framework, a suction cup connected to the lower endsof each of the legs of said U-shaped member and to the lower end of saidsecond-mentioned member, the lower faces of said cups being positionedin the same plane, means forming a pair of openings adjacent the ends ofsaid back rest, an adjustable flexible belt having its ends extendingthrough said openings, and means for connecting the ends of said belttogether behind said back rest.

5. In a device for supporting and holding a baby in a bathtub or on anysmooth surface, the combination of, a longitudinally curved back rest ofsubstantial width, a framework positioned rearwardly of said back restincluding a U-shaped member and a member connected to the center portionof said U-shaped member, said lastmentioned member including a portionextending upwardly behind said back rest, means connecting said portionto said back rest, said lastmentioned member also extending rearwardlyfrom the center portion of said U-shaped member, curving downwardly, andthence extending forwardly, a suction cup mounted on the forwardlyextending section of said second-mentioned member, a suction cup mountedon the lower ends of each of the legs of said U-shaped member, the lowerfaces of said cups being positioned in the same plane, said U-shapedmember being transversely positioned with respect to said deviceimmediately rearwardly of said back rest, the cup on saidsecond-mentioned member being positioned rearwardly of the cups on saidU-shaped member, and adjustable belt means for connecting a baby to saidback rest, said cups being adapted to secure said framework to thebottom of a bathtub or to any smooth surface.

MALCOLM I. DAVIS, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

